Friday, 31 January 2014

2014 Blogger Challenge: Skincare

When I saw the topic for the second post of the 2014 blogger challenge, my heart sank ever so slightly. Skincare? That is something I don't really know all much about and to tell the truth, I'm not even that interested in it! That might also have a bit of something to do with why this post is almost 2 weeks late to the party. Oops...

However, the reason I signed up to the blogger challenge is to push my boundaries and try new things so here is my delayed expert skincare post!

I'm going to mention some of my recently used skincare related products, mostly moisturisers because that's about as fancy as I get when it comes to skincare!

The product in the middle is Raspberry Kiss Body Butter, this was a gift from a couple of birthdays ago and is nearly empty now. It's a very thick body butter and I mostly use it straight after I've shaved my legs as it delivers a powerful moisture hit. It takes quite a while to soak in, but sorts out dry skin in an instant!

At the top left is Lush Popcorn Lip Scrub, and the top is Nivea Pure and Natural Milk and Honey Lip Balm. My lips are really struggling with getting chapped with it being so cold and windy, and the constant central heating is drying them out as well. When I get dry chapped lips I have a terrible habit of nibbling on them, especially when I'm stressed out or nervous, so these two products are my attempt at stopping this habit. I'm not too big of a fan of the Popcorn Lip Scrub, as it's a bit messy to apply, and the amount of sugar in it makes me not want to use it at night after brushing my teeth. However it does what it's supposed to and really works! The lip balm is very moisturising, and handy to apply being in a bullet form, but I just can't get over how much it stinks. The smell is really off putting and makes me wonder if people think my breath smells when I wear it!

The Freederm Exfoliating Daily Wash is one of the best face washes I've used in a while. I'm not brand loyal at all when it comes to skincare, so I usually just buy whatever is on offer at the supermarket.This face wash is lasting ages, you only need a little bit to wash your whole face, and it leaves my skin feeling fresh and clean, but not tight like some face washes can. Very good value for money, and I might have to buy a new one of these when it eventually runs out!

The Morrisons So Clear Dual Action Moisturiser was another very very long lasting product which was just about perfect in every way. I say was though, because this has run out, and Morrisons have discontinued it! Insert wail of sorrow here. It was the perfect balance between light and heavy, never caused spots, and lasted me about 6 months! I'll be keeping an eye out to see if it ever returns though.

The product at the bottom is L'Occitane Hand Cream which I got free from Marie Claire magazine a few months ago at the bargain price of £4. This is such a good intensive hand cream, a little goes a long way, and it's more than a match for NHS hand soap's stripping qualities! There seems to be a bit of a pattern of laziness in my favourite products here... Haha!

Last but not least is Vaseline Spray and Go Moisturiser. This is perfect for when I need to have a quick moisturise of my legs or body, as it's super light and absorbs really quickly into my skin. This would also come in useful if I sunburned my back, as I can't reach my back myself (curse of the inflexible) but could spray it from afar using this. It also feels really summery for some reason, but it's perfect for use all year round.

So there we have it! My most used skincare products lately! Let me know if you've used any of these before, and if you have any more lazy product recommendations to help my bank balance and my lack of time!